4:30

Chapter 7

George.

"Hey that guy next to Sapnap looks a lot like," Drista stops mid sentence.

"George," falls out of Clay's mouth.

"Oh shit, what is he doing here?"

"I have no fucking clue," Clay can't think as they pull up to the two boys, rolling their windows down.

"Surprise motherfucker," George leans down to whisper in the blonde's ear, "does she know?"

Clay gives him a short nod but George doesn't do anything else, just smiling at her and giving her a small wave, "Hey, I'm George, I'm a, a friend of Clay's."

"Well it's really nice to meet you, I'm Drista, if you want to put your bags in the trunk I can open it," she gives him a huge grin, obviously thrilled to be meeting the boy.

"Yeah thanks, that'd be really nice," George grabs his duffle bag from off the ground. Clay's pretty sure he blacks out until they get home.

"Hey honey, how'd you like your surprise?" his mom asks when she sees the boys walk through the door.

"You knew?"

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Drista complains, looking to her parents who give her a shrug.

"Wait, you knew?" Clay repeats, this time trying to force an answer, but getting one from his friend.

"Yeah, you think I was going to just show up with George without asking your parents, dumbass? Um- uh, Stupid," Sapnap attempts to cover up his mistake but instead recieves a pat on the back from Dream's dad.

"How you been kid?" Dream's dad asks the brunette who greets him with a handshake. Clay's dad has always really liked Sapnap, ever since they met the man constantly asks about the brunette. "You look good, quarterback treating you well?"

"Better than I could've ever imagined," Sapnap answers, which grants a throaty laugh from Clay's dad, one the blonde doesn't think he's ever heard.

Envy bubbles up to his throat unexpectedly, an emotion he normally doesn't associate with Sapnap. He stares his father down, watching the man smile with a look of pride he doesn't think his dad has ever had with him. A wash of sadness seems to follow, tears threatening to break free. He does the only thing he's ever known, run.

"I have to go, sorry, I'll be back," the blonde excuses himself from the group, bolting to his room once out of their view. Pain shoots up his arm as he takes the stairs two at a time. He can hear his mom call after him.

"I'm fine, really, just forgot to do something," he yells down, not wanting anyone following him. Well maybe not ANYone.

But no one does. No one shows up to Clay's door with a soft knock. No one walks in with a warm smile. No one makes their way to Clay's bed and sits with him. No one falls asleep in his arms. It just makes Clay cry harder. He misses the way the brunette felt in his arms, in the hours of the night no one was awake but them.

Clay falls asleep with salty tears on the corners of his mouth. His arm is sat across his stomach, his sling itching where his shirt has ridden up.

He's only woken by his friends hours later to eat dinner. Both ask if he's okay and tell him they didn't want to interrupt whatever he was doing. Clay wishes they would have.

"Hey Sapnap, can you tell my parents we'll be down in a minute? I need to talk to George," Clay requests as the three start to walk out of his room, "Hey, stay here for a second," this time Clay directs the ask to George.

"Yeah, okay," Sapnap says to his friend before continuing downstairs. George looks nervously at the taller man, but quickly follows him and shuts the door behind the two.